Printed circuit connector



w, F. MASON PRINTED CIRCUIT CONNECTOR April 14, 1959v I Filed July 1;, 1955 I v fe I N VEN TOR.

, Wam/e0 MASQ/V AWM/VWS PRINTED CIRCUIT CONNECTOR Willard F. Mason, Rowayton, Conn., assignor to Nicholas Anton, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Application July 1s, 19ss,seria1No. 521,158

s claims. (cl. 339-116) The present invention relates rto connectors and especially to a connector which will accept a card having printed circuits on both sides thereof and which will connect to those printed circuits.

More particularly still the invention relates to such a connector having contact elements of a unique construction which gives higher tension and a greater degree of control. Additionally, the connector includes a tapered portion at the base of the contact elements which guides the printed circuit card into place and supports it so as to minimize or eliminate motion.

It is an object of the invention to provide a connector for a printed circuit card which connector will accept such a card and will engage circuits printed on both sides Of the card.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a connector having a contact construction in which two elements are utilized, one to assure a high contact pressure and enhance the control of the card by the connector, and the other to carry the current.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a connector which is of a molded insulating material, the molded body being tapered adjacent the lower ends of the contact elements to guide the printed circuit card into place and support it in a manner which minimizes motion of the card in the connector.

It is a further object of the invention to `provide such a printed circuit card connector which is simple in construction and therefore capable of economical manufacture.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the annexed drawings, in which,

Figure l is a bottom plan view of the connector of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the connector;

Figure 3 is a top plan view;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view of the connector of the present invention, the view being taken along the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view, the view being taken along the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the connector of this invention comprises an insulating body portion which body portion is preferably of a molded plastic material and is provided with a cavity 11 which houses the coutact elements 12. The body 10 is molded so that internally projecting ribs 13 are provided along the two sides of the central cavity 11. Between each pair of ribs 13 the upper side wall portion of the body 10 is formed with an upward projection 14 which terminates below the maximum height of the body portion and provides a downwardly extending cavity 1S. In each of these cavities there is placed a bent over end 16 of a contact member 12 which member is made in the shape particularly shown in Figure 4 and is joined at nited. ates Patent i Patented Apr. 14,` 1959 ICC a point adjacent the lower end of the cavity 11 to a spring member 18. The spring 12 may be uniformly bowed or may be formed with an inwardly projecting portion such as that shown at 19. The projection definitely locates the area of contact in the center of the printed circuit conductors. Contact 12 extends downwardly through an aperture 20 in the base of the housing 10 and is provided with a lbend at the point 21. Also, at its terminal end the member 12 is bent outwardly at a slight angle as indicated at 22. Since the housing member is formed with a ledge as shown at 23, the contact members may `be inserted through the apertures 20, the angular portion 22 moving inwardly as the lower end of the terminal 12 passes through the aperture and thereafter springing outwardly to anchor the contact in position with respect to the body 10. As will be clear, when in this position the contact 12 bows inwardly due both to its own resiliency and to the resiliency imparted by the upper end of the spring member 18 which, as is clearly indicated at 24, bears against and adds its pressure to that of the contact 12. At the same time, due to the upper end 16 being in the position between the ribs 13 and in the notch 15, the contact cannot move sidewise nor can it be displaced inwardly.

The body member 10 is provided with a longitudinally extending rib 25 and also with transversely extending ribs 26, thus forming compartments which separate the lower ends of the contact members 12 and minimize the electrical leakage between adjacent ones of the contact members 12. Also these ribs reinforce the body 10, which would otherwise be weak because of the large cavity 11.

As is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4, the ribs 13 are inclined inwardly at the upper end and also tapered inwardly at the lower end as seen at 27. These ribs thus guide a printed circuit card which is inserted on edge into a definite position where it rests on the surface 28 of the base of the cavity 12 and is held in this position due to the pressure of the contacts 12 on both sides of the printed circuit card.

Connections may of course be made to the contact members 12 by any suitable means such as by inserting the connector into a receptacle designed to receive the lower return bend portions 21 of the contacts, or if desirable leads may ibe soldered to these lower portions of the contacts to complete circuits to the printed circuit elements on the card itself. Again, if desirable the end 21 may be formed to accept tapered pin connectors. It will of course be understood that the printed circuit card may, in some instances, have connections extending from one side to the other, whereas, in other instances, the circuits on the one side of the card may be entirely separate from those on the opposite side.

The arrangement of the bowing of the contact members 12 and the use of the springs 18 serves to produce a greater pressure against the printed circuit card and at the same time the formation of the contact members assures a greater degree of control. Moreover, the tapered portions 27 at the bottom of the molded body 10 guide the printed circuit card into position and support the lower end thereof and minimize the movement thereof.

It will be obvious that instead of welding or brazing the spring member 18 to the contact member 12 as indicated in Figure 4, other fastening means may be utilized such, for example, as a strap extending about members 12 and 18.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that I wish to be limited not by the foregoing description, but solely by the claims granted to me.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector for circuits printed on an -insulatingpanel, "comprising, in combination, an insulating body member having a central cavity therein, -ribs extending inwardly into said cavity along the side wall portions thereof, forming compartments along said side wall, and `spring leontaetmembers mountedk in said Icom- -.partments,each of said Contact membersfcomprising ya :main icontact iof fresilient 4conductive fma'terial :having .its lower lend Iirrnly lxed rin said body member, van intermediate '.portion ,bowing Itoward the center -lof said cavity and 1an upper l-endrestrained for limited movement and :anauxiliary.pressurememberfixed to each of said contact fm'embers adjacent fthe bottomof the cavity and extending Aupwardly and inwardly-bearing `against the intermediate `portion fof said Contact member .adjacenttheupper end Ethereof to thereby enhance the .inward `.pressure .on l said lcontactinember.

i2. fAxieviceasfclaimed in claim 1,'characterized in that `each 'ofsaid inwardly extending ribs oisaid body member has anzupper edge which inclines :downwardly'to guidea '.panel .into .position between vsaid contact members, said ribs having an inwardly .tapering surface at their lower `ends adjacent the base of `said cavity, said last mentioned tapered .portions serving to guide the `panel into its iinal .position and cooperating with the pressure of said contact members kto hold the panel in a fixed predetermined position.

3. An electrical `connector as claimed vin claim I1 in which each of said main contact members extends through an aperture in 'the body member and is yformed with a return bend at its lower end, Vsaid contact terminating in `an voutwardly :extending portion, said portion seating against a shoulder on said Abody member.

.said k.body Amember-,is A.formed with `upwardly extending projections on the walls of said compartments between said ribs, and said bentover upper terminal ends of said contacts extend into the slots formed by said upwardly extending body Wall projections to hold said contact ends in position while permitting limited motion thereof.

5. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 3 characterized in that the return bend in each of said main contact members vis bent substantially fiat against said main-contact'membensaid doubled portion formed thereby being approximately'of the same thickness as the combined thickness of the upper part of said main Contact member and the 'auxiliary pressure member aiiixed thereto, and further characterized in that -'each said aperture is only slightly wider than the thickness of the doubled portion of said contact member, whereby said spring contact members may be forcibly inserted into said apertures and will 'bermlylreta'ined Abythe outwardly extending portions offsaid contacts.

References Cited in theflefof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 611,707 Pedriali Oct. 4, 1898 1,231,417 Nero `June 26, 1917 2,068,486 vGilbert Ian. 19, 1937 2,688,123 Beuham et al Allg. 31, 1954 '2,699,534 .Klostermann Jan. 11, 1955 FOREIGN 'PATENTS 191,317 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1937 

